part05+-第56部分

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very　high　theory　of　the　royal　and　imperial　prerogative；　and　a



very　exacting　theory　of　the　duty　of　the　subject。　Little　account



was　taken　by　distant　observers　of　the　fundamental　facts　in　the



case；　namely；　that　Germany；　being　a　nation　with　no　natural



frontiers；　with　hostile　military　nations　on　all　sides；　and　with



serious　intestine　tendencies　to　anarchy；　must；　if　she　is　to　live；



have　the　best　possible　military　organization　and　a　central　power



strong　to　curb　all　the　forces　of　the　empire；　and　quick　to　hurl



them。　Moreover；　these　speeches；　which　seemed　so　absurd　to　the



average　American；　hardly　astonished　any　one　who　had　lived　long　in



Germany；　and　especially　in　Prussia。　The　doctrines　laid　down　by



the　young　monarch　to　the　recruits　were；　after　all；　only　what　they



had　heard　a　thousand　times　from　pulpit　and　school　desk；　and　are　a



logical　result　of　Prussian　history　and　geography。　Something；　too；



must　be　allowed　to　a　young　man　gifted；　energetic；　suddenly



brought　into　so　responsible　a　position；　looking　into　and　beyond



his　empire；　seeing　hostile　nations　north；　south；　east；　and　west；



with　elements　of　unreason　fermenting　within　its　own　borders；　and



feeling　that　the　only　reliance　of　his　country　is　in　the　good



right　arms　of　its　people；　in　their　power　of　striking　heavily　and



quickly；　and　in　unquestioning　obedience　to　authority。







In　the　history　of　American　opinion　at　this　time　there　was　one



comical　episode。　The　strongholds　of　opinion　among　us　friendly　to



Germany　have　been；　for　the　last　sixty　years；　our　universities　and



colleges；　in　so　many　of　which　are　professors　and　tutors　who；



having　studied　in　Germany；　have　brought　back　a　certain　love　for



the　German　fatherland。　To　them　there　came　in　those　days　a　curious



tractate　by　a　little…known　German　professorone　of　the　most



curious　satires　in　human　history。　To　all　appearance　it　was　simply



a　biographical　study　of　the　young　Roman　emperor　Caligula。　It



displayed　the　advantages　he　had　derived　from　a　brave　and　pious



imperial　ancestry；　and　especially　from　his　devout　and　gifted



father；　it　showed　his　natural　gifts　and　acquired　graces；　his



versatility；　his　growing　restlessness；　his　manifold　ambitions；



his　contempt　of　wise　counsel；　the　dismissal　of　his　most　eminent



minister；　his　carelessness　of　thoughtful　opinion；　his　meddling　in



anything　and　everything；　his　displays　in　the　theater　and　in　the



temples　of　the　gods；　his　growthuntil　the　world　recognized　him



simply　as　a　beast　of　prey；　a　monster。　The　whole　narrative　was　so



managed　that　the　young　prince　who　had　just　come　to　the　German



throne　seemed　the　exact　counterpart　of　the　youthful　Roman



monarchdown　to　the　cruel　stage　of　his　career；　THAT　was　left　to



anticipation。　The　parallels　and　resemblances　between　the　two　were



arranged　with　consummate　skill；　and　whenever　there　was　a　passage



which　seemed　to　present　an　exact　chronicle　of　some　well…known



saying　or　doing　of　the　modern　ruler　there　would　follow　an



asterisk　with　a　reference　to　a　passage　in　Tacitus　or　Suetonius　or



Dion　Cassius　or　other　eminent　authority　exactly　warranting　the



statement。　This　piece　of　historical　jugglery　ran　speedily　through



thirty　editions；　while　from　all　parts　of　Germany　came　refutations



and　counter…refutations　by　scores；　all　tending　to　increase　its



notoriety。　Making　a　short　tour　through　Germany　at　that　period；



and　stopping　in　a　bookseller's　shop　at　Munich　to　get　a　copy　of



this　treatise；　I　was　shown　a　pile　of　pamphlets　which　it　had



called　out；　at　least　a　foot　high。　Comically　enough；　its　author



could　not　be　held　responsible　for　it；　since　the　name　of　the　young



Emperor　William　was　never　mentioned；　all　it　claimed　to　give　or



did　give　was　the　life　of　Caligula；　and　certainly　there　was　no



crime　in　writing　a　condemnatory　history　of　him　or　any　other



imperial　miscreant　who　died　nearly　two　thousand　years　ago。　In　the



American　colleges　and　universities　this　tractate　doubtless　made



good　friends　of　Germany　uneasy；　and　it　even　shocked　some



excellent　men　who　knew　much　of　Roman　history　and　little　of



mankind；　but　gradually　common　sense　resumed　its　sway。　As　men



began　to　think　they　began　to　realize　that　the　modern　German



Empire　resembles　in　no　particular　that　debased　and　corrupt　mass



with　which　the　imperial　Roman　wretches　had　to　do；　and　that　the



new　German　sovereign；　in　all　his　characteristics　and　tendencies



is　radically　a　different　being　from　any　one　of　the　crazy　beasts



of　prey　who　held　the　imperial　power　during　the　decline　of　Rome。







Sundry　epigrams　had　also　come　over　to　us；　among　others；　the



characterization　of　the　three　German　Emperors：　the　first　William



as　〃Der　greise　Kaiser；〃　the　Emperor　Frederick　as　〃Der　weise



Kaiser；〃　and　the　second　William　as　〃Der　Reise　Kaiser〃；　and　there



were　unpleasant　murmurs　regarding　sundry　trials　for　petty



treason。　But　at　the　same　time　there　was　evident；　in　the　midst　of



American　jokes　at　the　young　Emperor's　expense；　a　growing　feeling



that　there　was　something　in　him；　that；　at　any　rate；　he　was　not　a



fat…witted；　Jesuit…ridden；　mistress…led　monarch　of　the　old



Bourbon　or　Hapsburg　sort；　that　he　had　〃go〃　in　himsome　fine



impulses；　evidently；　and　here　and　there　a　quotation　from　a　speech



showed　insight　into　the　conditions　of　the　present　world　and



aspiration　for　its　betterment。







In　another　chapter　I　have　given　a　general　sketch　of　the



conversation　at　my　first　presentation　to　him　as　ambassador；　it



strengthened　in　my　mind　the　impression　already　formed；that　he



was　not　a　monarch　of　the　old　pattern。　The　talk　was　not



conventional；　he　was　evidently　fond　of　discoursing　upon



architecture；　sculpture；　and　music；　but　not　less　gifted　in



discussing　current　political　questions；　and　in　various



conversations　afterward　this　fact　was　observable。　Conventional



talk　was　reduced　to　a　minimum；　the　slightest　hint　was　enough　to



start　a　line　of　remark　worth　listening　to。







Opportunities　for　conversation　were　many。　Besides　the　usual



〃functions〃　of　various　sorts；　there　were　interviews　by　special



appointment；　and　in　these　the　young　monarch　was　neither　backward



in　presenting　his　ideas　nor　slow　in　developing　them。　The　range　of



subjects　which　interested　him　seemed　unlimited；　but　there　were



some　which　he　evidently　preferred：　of　these　were　all　things



relating　to　ships　and　shipping；　and　one　of　the　first　subjects



which　came　up　in　conversations　between　us　was　the　books　of



Captain　Mahan；　which　he　discussed　very　intelligently；　awarding



great　praise　to　their　author；　and　saying　that　he　required　all　his



naval　officers　to　read　them。







Another　subject　in　order　was　art　in　all　its　developments。　During



the　first　years　of　my　stay　he　was　erecting　the　thirty…two



historical　groups　on　the　Avenue　of　Victory　in　the　Thiergarten；



near　my　house。　My　walks　took　me　frequently　by　them；　and　they



interested　me；　not　merely　by　their　execution；　but　by　their



historical　purpose；　commemorating　as　they　do　the　services　of　his



predecessors；　and　of　the　strongest　men　who　made　their　reigns



significant　during　nearly　a　thousand　years。　He　was　always　ready



to　discuss　these　works　at　length；　whether　from　the　artistic；



historical；　or　educational　point　of　view。　Not　only　to　me；　but　to



my　wife　he　insisted　on　their　value　as　a　means　of　arousing



intelligent　patriotism　in　children　and　youth。　He　dwelt　with　pride



on　the　large　number　of　gifted　sculptors　in　his　realm；　and　his



comments　on　their　work　were　worth　listening　to。　He　himself　has



artistic　gifts　which　in　his　earlier　days　were　shown　by　at　least



one　specimen　of　his　work　as　a　painter　in　the　Berlin　Annual



Exhibition；　and　in　the　window　of　a　silversmith's　shop　on　the



Linden　I　once　saw　a　prize　cup　for　a　yacht　contest　showing　much



skill　in　invention　and　beauty　in　form；　while　near　it　hung　the



pencil　drawing　for　it　in　his　own　hand。







His　knowledge　of　music　and　love　for　it　have　been　referred　to



elsewhere　in　these　chapters。　Noteworthy　was　it　that　his　feeling



was　not　at　all　for　music　of　a　thin；　showy　sort；　he　seemed　to　be



touched　by　none　of　the　prevailing　fashions；　but　to　cherish　a



profound　love　for　the　really　great　things　in　music。　This　was



often　shown；　as；　for　example；　at　the　concert　at　Potsdam　to　which



he　invited　President　and　Mrs。　Harrison；　and　in　his　comments　upon



the　pieces　then　executed。　But　the　most　striking　evidence　of　it



was　the　music　in　the　Royal　Chapel。　It　has　been　given　me　to　hear



more　than　once　the　best　music　of　the　Sistine　Pauline；　and　Lateran



choirs　at　Rome；　of　the　three　great　choirs　at　St。　Petersburg；　of



the　chorus　at　Bayreuth；　and　of　other　well…known　assemblages　under



high　musical　direction；　but　the　cathedral　choir　at　Berlin；　in　its



best　efforts；　surpassed　any　of　these；　and　the　music；　both



instrumental　and　choral；　which　reverberates　under　the　dome　of　the



imperial　chapel　at　the　great　anniversaries　there　celebrated　is



nowhere　excelled。　For　operatic　music　of　the　usual　sort　he　seemed



to　care　little。　If　a　gala　opera　was　to　be　given；　the　chances　were



that　he　would　order　the　performance　of　some　piece　of　more



historical　than　musical　interest。　Hence；　doubtless；　it　was　that



during　my　whole　stay　the　opera　at　Dresden　surpassed　decidedly



that　at　Berlin；　while　in　the　higher　realms　of　music　Berlin



remained　unequaled。







Dramatic　art　is　another　field　in　which　he　takes　an　enlightened



interest：　he　has　great　reason　for　doing　so；　both　as　a　statesman



and　as　a　man。







As　a　result　of　observation　a